Quintin Payton joined UT Arlington Athletics as Senior Associate AD for External Affairs and Chief Revenue Officer in July of 2025, and is an accomplished collegiate athletics administrator with more than a decade of experience leading external operations, brand development, fan engagement, marketing, communications, and revenue-generation initiatives at the NCAA Division I and II levels.
Recognized for his innovative approach to fan experience and strategic brand growth, Payton has established a reputation for building high-performing teams, cultivating community partnerships, and driving measurable results that strengthen athletic departments and enhance the student-athlete experience.
Before joining UTA, Payton served as Senior Associate Athletics Director for Brand Development and Fan Experience at Abilene Christian University. In this role, he provided oversight of branding, creative services, marketing, media relations, game operations, licensing, and fan engagement initiatives while supervising a team of full-time staff and interns. He also served as the sport administrator for the softball program and acted as a key liaison between the athletics department, campus partners, and the surrounding community.
At ACU, Payton led the development and execution of integrated strategies across marketing, development, ticketing, and fan engagement that have increased attendance, strengthened the university's brand presence, and generated new revenue opportunities. Under his leadership, football student attendance increased by 160 percent, with 94 percent of freshmen attending at least one game during the 2022 season. He also helped grow men's basketball student attendance by more than 84 percent on average during the 2022-23 campaign while implementing innovative promotional campaigns designed to build long-term fan loyalty and engagement.
Prior to his tenure at Abilene Christian, Payton spent nearly three years at Texas Christian University as Assistant Director of Marketing. At TCU, he managed marketing efforts for several sports, including baseball, volleyball, beach volleyball, and men's and women's cross country and track and field. He also played a significant role in football game-day operations, overseeing premium fan experiences, stadium entertainment elements, pregame flyovers, pyrotechnics coordination, and digital seating initiatives. During his time with the Horned Frogs, TCU volleyball sold out every home match in 2019, marking the program’s first full-season sellout in history, while TCU baseball ranked among the nation’s attendance leaders and launched the “Frogball USA” campaign along with the highly successful Diamond Crew student engagement program.
Before joining TCU, Payton served as Assistant Athletics Director for Marketing and Promotions at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. There, he developed and implemented comprehensive marketing and promotional plans for all 16 varsity sports, managed licensing and branding initiatives, and strengthened relationships with community partners to support departmental growth and visibility. His leadership extended to oversight of several signature programs, including the Islanders App, Izzy's Kids Club, student spirit initiatives, and the department's marketing internship program.
Payton also held the position of Director of Athletics Marketing at Jacksonville University, where he increased men's and women's basketball attendance by more than 30 percent and helped establish several new traditions and fan engagement initiatives that elevated the game-day atmosphere and strengthened the university's connection to the Jacksonville community.
His career began at the University of West Florida, where he advanced from graduate assistant to Athletics Marketing and Sales Coordinator. During his time in Pensacola, Payton generated record sponsorship growth, increasing corporate partnerships from 51 to 103 sponsors in a single year and helping secure more than $546,000 in cash and in-kind support. He also coordinated marketing efforts for the inaugural football season in 2016 and managed promotional initiatives for numerous conference and NCAA championship events hosted by the university.
A respected leader within the collegiate athletics industry, Payton has been an active member of the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators (NACMA) since 2014. He has attended the NACDA & Affiliates Convention annually since 2015 and has established himself as a thought leader within the profession through numerous presentations at the national level. Payton presented at the NACDA & Affiliates Convention in 2022 and 2025 as part of the Young Professionals Workshop, in 2023 and 2024 during Open Forum sessions, and again in 2026 through the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association (MOAA).
His commitment to professional growth and industry advancement has earned him several national recognitions, including the NACMA Mike Cleary Stipend Award in 2017 and 2018, NACDA Convention Stipend Awards in 2023 and 2025, and the prestigious NACDA U Grant in 2026.
Payton has also served in numerous leadership roles within NACMA. He represented the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) as the league's marketing representative and brand ambassador from 2022-26 and currently serves as the United Athletic Conference (UAC) marketing representative. His service to the organization includes appointments to the NACMA Awards Committee (2019-21), Fan Development Committee (2021-22), Personal and Professional Development Committee (2023-25), and Brand Management Committee (2025-26).
Further demonstrating his commitment to innovation and revenue growth in college athletics, Payton attended the NACMA Revenue Generation Summit in both 2024 and 2026, collaborating with industry leaders to explore emerging strategies in fan engagement, ticket sales, sponsorship activation, and revenue development.
Known for his strategic vision, collaborative leadership style, and passion for collegiate athletics, Payton continues to develop innovative approaches that drive revenue, elevate institutional brands, enhance fan experiences, and position athletic departments for long-term success.
Payton earned a Master of Arts in Strategic Communication and Leadership from the University of West Florida and a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology with a concentration in Sport Management and a minor in Marketing from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.
Payton and his wife, Emily, welcomed their first children, twin sons Cohen and Mac, in January 2026.
